I don't think that this is a question with an absolute answer. Standard UI widgets and current design conventions aren't always great or even good ways to tack

I don't think that this is a question with an absolute answer. Standard UI widgets and current design conventions aren't always great or even good ways to tackle the problem in terms of productivity and efficient use. For a complex productivity application that I'll use daily for a long time, learning the basics is always a relatively small initial hurdle whether it takes an hour or a week. It's much more important that its application of standard UI widgets doesn't get in the way of productivity later on when I am at a stage of learning where I can perform the basic operations from muscle memory. For such an application, say a music sequencer, 3D modelling software or CAD software, I'd much rather have a terse UI and a manual in a binder than standard UI widgets that are worse than specialized solutions that take into account every aspect of the problem.